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On September 15, the Federal Communications Commission will stop
taking public comments on its net
neutrality proposal. The Open Internet Order would
allow for the creation of Internet "fast lanes" to those with the
ability to pay for them.

Without net neutrality, the large cable companies and other ISPs
would be free to provide multiple levels of service, and there is
a concern that new ventures and up and coming entrepreneurs would
be faced with a barrier to entry that they simply couldn't afford
to clear.

But on Wednesday, September 10, tech companies who oppose the
proposal including Etsy, Kicktarter, Reddit, Foursquare and
Mozilla will raise awareness about the issue through a protest
called the Internet Slowdown. The day of action is being
spearheaded by organizations like Fight for the Future,
Free Press and
Demand Progress.

Those participating in the protest will affix a widget that looks
like a looping "site loading" icon -- often referred to as the
spinning wheel of death -- onto their sites, provided by battleforthenet.com.
The icons aren't meant to slow down any of the sites, but to
remind people of what the Internet could look without the
protection of net neutrality.

Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson has been a vocal opponent of
the FCC order, and explained why Etsy is be taking part in
Wednesday's protest in a recent essay for Wired. "The
FCC proposal threatens any business that relies on the Internet
to reach consumers, stream video, process payments, advertise
services or products, speak their minds, or do just about
anything else," wrote Dickerson.

In August, the FCC
announced that it will also be holding a series of roundtable
discussions that will be livestreamed and open to the public
through October. Until the 15th, citizens can publicly
file comments through the
FCC or e-mail at openinternet@fcc.gov.